It’s funny, though predictable. And of course, it’s Bad Astronomy: the lens wouldn’t be able to burn things as it spun around; it only works if the lens is more or less perpendicular to the Sun. Plus, the beam wouldn’t be visible. Plus, cars don’t explode like that. Plus, they would use machines to winch the lens up. Plus, really, they’d dismount the telescope, put in the lens, then put the whole assembly back on the mount. Plus, the lens would be covered to prevent it getting damaged. Plus, it would be done inside the dome.

Didn’t you recognize the mega-cascade light amplifier, modulated into a single parallel-beam output, all contained within the lens itself, driven by just a single AA cell (OK, it was a Super Lithium from a French 5 &10, not the LG made Lithums that are prone to exploding, made especially for the American market).

Though the lens is normally used as a collector and amplifier of light, it can also be reversed to send light into space. Somebody inadvertantly threw the switch. It doesn’t need the sun, except as an excitor for the “send” mode, hence the wayward beam. Oh, and the EU authorities have insisted that a colored (sorry, coloured) safety inclusion that gives the beam visual presence, though this is an option in some markets. And the need to use a rope to haul the lens up to the ‘scope mount, is a little Union labor/demarcation thing, trying to get around another Astronomy Strike. And the “hum-buzz” was another warning alert that the lens was in use, to protect the Equal Opportunity Staff, namely the Blin… er, visually impaired Astronomers.

icesmith’s post reminds me of a Popular Electronics cover story almost exactly 47 years ago today about “contra-polar” energy which could project a ray of darkness. A highschool buddy of mine and I sent several hours eagerly trying to deduce as much info as we could from that article before we looked again at the cover date. We then went back to building our pinball machine parts computer-controlled robot.

Hey, I’ve known BA since the early ’90s when he was a grad student. He has an amazing sense of humor. One of these days, Phil, you have to share the letter you wrote to the author of the “Exorcist”. I don’t think I laughed so hard in my life.

I believe that the world would be a better place if everyone reacted to stuff like this the way BA does. First you laugh then you acknowledge the impossibilities. Unfortunately some people in this world just don’t get how it actually works. But hey, at least we’re here.